Misogyny, the Ameere situation & using BTS/ARMY for clout. (Patreon)

Hey besties - this may be a bit long.  But I have a few things I want to say.

Also some exciting news!   

TLDR: Sexism is gross. People who hate women are gross. I'm donating all of the April money I made on Patreon to charity. Reacting to BTS just to make money is weird.

DISCLAIMERS:

1.  I am not a woman and cannot understand everything women go through.

2.  I am not trying to speak for BTS or ARMy as a fandom. 

3.  Please do not go and harrass this creator.  I am only using their name for context and to explain why I am doing what I am doing.

For context on the Ameere situation please see the explained video by MelTargaryen:

https://youtu.be/OKudMuVC8U0

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When I first started my "Hey bitches & besties" intro I receieved a few comments from women who said the intro upset them.

It was only 2 or 3 people so I brushed it off and thought maybe they didn't understand my intentions.

As a gay man I basically grew up saying the word bitches a lot.  It was always done out of humor and never meant to be used as a derogative insult to women.  However, after seeing everything that happened on YouTube/Facebook with the Ameere Reacts situation I feel like it is important that I change my intro.  I do not want even 1 woman feeling uncomfortable or triggered by anything I say.  

Going forward I will probably just say "Hey besties" or something similar.  

I believe this is what accountability and change looks like.  Ameere has had over 3,000 people unsubscibe from his channel since his thoughts on women were exposed and has only doubled down on his beliefs and called ARMY crazy and obsessed. 

Being able to make money on Patreon from reactions is a blessing.  I am thankful that I have an audience who cares and enjoys my content.  However, that was not my intention when creating a YouTube channel.  It was 2020 in the middle of the pandemic and I had just discovered K-Pop.  I was excited and started watching other YouTube reaction channels.  I thought it would be fun if I did it too!  I also just wanted an excuse to buy a new camera & microphone honestly because I love tech.  It seems like there are more and more people who see YouTube/content creation as a way to a quick/easy paycheck.

So here's what I am doing.  I have decieded to donate all of my Patreon money from this month to a Woman's charity called The Women's Foundation of Greater St. Louis.

I chose this specific chartity because it located where Ameere Reacts lives. (this is public information - Ameere has the St. Louis location tag turned on for all of his YouTube videos)

I wanted the money I made mostly from BTS/ARMY to go directly to the women in his community that he despises so much.

Also, because I have a great full-time job my company offers up to $500 in donation matching.  So I have submitted my receipt to my employer who will also donate $500. 

Anyway.  Sorry for the rant.  I just wanted to let you know that I am using the money you spent on my Patreon this month to go to a good cause.

Some months I do look forward to the extra income from Patreon to help pay bills, buy merch, equipment upgrades, etc.

But I wanted to give back this month while taking a stand against mysogny and show that BTS/ARMY and the reaction community is better than this.

Take care of yourselves!

Austin

UPDATE: My work has approved my donation and has also donated $500 to the charity. Screenshot added. 💜